I love when I get to post on a holiday! Here’s our history lesson for today’s celebration!

First up is the man himself – St. Patrick. Born in England, Patrick was captured and sold into slavery in Ireland. It was during his six years of enslavement that he was called to Christianity.

When he escaped, he returned to his family in England and became a priest. It was his goal to rid Ireland of paganism and so began his lifelong missionary work. He is credited with spreading Christianity to Ireland and also devising the Celtic Cross.

In Ireland up to the 1970s, the holiday was strictly a religious celebration. But it seems that now everyone is joining the American tradition and thinking about having a pint today.

And why are we parading, drinking Guinness and dying the Chicago River green?

Well when the Irish arrived in America, like so many immigrants, they weren’t welcomed with open arms. The stories of the Irish in New Orleans who were given passage to dredge the swamp lands and a coffin just in case they didn’t finish the job are some of the cases of injustice. I can imagine what the stories are like in New York and Boston when so many more arrived.

Soon however, the Irish of New York City realized that they were a powerful political force due to their sheer numbers. They held the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1762.

While the meaning may have been lost on the political front of the parades, keep one thing in mind. Kiss me, I’m Irish applies to us all today. At some point, we’ve all been in the minority.